And that's why I'll be building my own version. The engine above is fully machined.... to the nth degree.

 

Build it yourself is the only decent choice, can probably do something for a 1/3 of that price for a measly 575HP/580TQ.

 

Building a fire breathing beast of an engine is kind of waste if no street racing aloud.

It kind of takes the fun out of your old stock daily driver, putting it into limited driving when your gas mileage 7-8 mpg plus having to buy the high octane gas.

Theirs always an issues popping up with a large built engines versus one more on the stock side.

As my Dad once said to me and the age of 16 when getting my first car a 42 ford, if you hop it up son you'll be lifting the hood about 10 to 1 many more times then if leaving it stock.

It took me about 4yrs to finely agree with what my dad had said was so very true.

And may be some of you guys have already found this out.
Orich

 

2X on that soldier, 2X. If you build it for racing, then by all means go for the big bucks... but if its for a daily driver, dependability and strength matter the most. in racing, the old saying is "No replacement for displacement"... is soooo true. in physics, the law is E=MC2... You need the M... mass, to accelerate ie the displacement... and nobody, but nobody, breaks the laws of physics... at least, not on this world..

BTW Rich, those ranger emblems you sent me, are going on my old truck this week...
Thanks again

Baja

 

But as long as you KNOW what your looking at under the hood, make it loud and be proud.

 

HIO, have you had the chance to drive the Tremec or did I mis the post.

 

Ya missed the road test/test loop a few pages ago. The 3.50 rear gear is a touch too low for the some of the hills and dales. However, I think it would be perfect if I lived in the flatlands of the CA Central Valley or Midwest.

 

forgive me if these are redundant questions, I didn't even try to find the post.
Soooo, 3.73s, tru-trak, can we get those in 9"?

 

I think it was you, didn't you do a video of the exahust on the war machine? Pop one up of the LLB, I would sure be interested in it.

 

A Detroit TrueTrac is available for the Ford 9-inch... around $500.


I'm thinking 3.90 gears would be about right with the Tremec's 0.68 overdrive. That would result in a final drive ratio of 2.65 rather than the 2.38 I got right now. I could live with the existing 3.50 gears if I regularly drive 80 MPH but I don't ....and these rigs are as aerodynamic as a barn and its efficiency results in diminishing returns as speed increases to overcome its barnness.



Yup that was me with the WM. I'll do one of the LBB soon. Hang tight...

 

No 3.73 ratio in factory 9-inch rear end gears. Closest factory ratio to that would be 3.70:1.


I don't know of any factory 3.90 ratios for a 9-inch but 3.89s were fairly common in the Slicks (Axle code 12). 3.90s were available for an 8.8" rear end.

 

3.89/3.90.. I can never remember which application is Ford-specific ... just like 4.10 vs 4.11. Nevertheless, the principle remains the same with regards to final drive ratios.

 

4.11 was common to a Ford 9-inch while 4.10 is common to an 8.8" and Dana type rear end.

 

I've looked high and low and no one sells wiper blade refills. All I find come with the blade and the wiper arm frame as an assembly. I think it's because folks are inept at changing them.

Due their unavailability, it was time to address the issue because the stock blades are torn and basically don't do anything except smear a mixture of dirt and moisture all over the windshield.

I picked up two sets of wiper arms from late 80s F-trucks. One set for the LBB and one set for the 73 War Machine. I prefer the pin mount style because it is a matter of prying up on the clip and popping them off the pin. Easy. Btw, thanks to FTE member Tbear over in the Dentside forum for the inspiration: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14050329

The hardest part is removing the spring and hinge clip. I came up with this contraption to hook onto the spring and using the wiper arm to lever and get the clip to unhook. There is an amazing about of tension!! The wood spacers are to avoid marring the wiper arm base.



Below is spring and clip... assembled and disassembled. After removal of the spring, drill out the rivet with a 1/8-inch bit.


.


With a 16-inch blade, 2.75 inches needs to be removed from the arm to locate the spring in its original location. The left hash mark is where the thin arm projects out of the housing and the right mark becomes the butt end.



Drill a 1/8-inch hole near the butt end for the spring. Then install it in a vise and replicate the bend for the spring to clear the housing. Install the arm back into the housing, align it with the hash mark, and use a Sharpie to mark the arm through the housing's original rivet hole and drill a 1/8-inch hole.

Holding the arm tight to the housing, install a rivet from the front side. Use a steel rivet because it will be under an immense amount of shear force. Now install the spring and hinge clip using a facsimile of the contraption above... I lever the arm to pull the spring and, with the hinge clip loosely dangling, guide the clip over the hinge affixed to the housing.

Sand, prime, and paint! I made two sets.. one for each truck. The LBB gets the silver pair. The metal spoiler came from a BMW and it's riveted to the arm. Yes, it clears the wiper blade - barely, but it clears.

 

Are you keeping the factory gauges or going with the F600 style?